Multiple charities helped by young students
How do you turn Nobody into a Somebody?
Two local classes found out this year when they participated in a special character-education project.
The Grade 3/4 class at South Branch Elementary School and Grade 5 class at Centennial 67 School in Spencerville had to help a person, an animal or the environment.
The Grade 3/4 class at South Branch Elementary School participated in the Who Is NOBODY? project for the academic school year. The class had fun helping both local and national organizations with donations of time, funds or items.
The students took a doll called Nobody home for a week. During that time they had to make Nobody a somebody by using it to inspire them to perform a good deed.
The Kemptville class raised funds for Camp Banting, cut their hair for cancer wigs, donated to the House of Lazarus and helped Big Sky Ranch Animal Sanctuary, Bayfield Manor and the Salvation Army.
Each student was sent home with Nobody and a disposable camera to take a photo of themselves during these projects.
The project started in October when two volunteers working with Child Haven in Nepal talked to students, whose class raised $576 for the charity. The money was used to buy books for children.
This was something so special for the kids. We really talked a lot about character education and had a lot of fun with it— Pat Lynch, teacher
“This was something so special for the kids. We really talked a lot about character education and had a lot of fun with it,” said teacher Pat Lynch. “I thought this was a terrific program and I think the parents liked it too. It was homework, but for a good cause. The goal was to teach compassion and caring for the environment, people and animals”
Some of the organizations helped by Louise Marcil-Irving’s Grade 5 class in Spencerville were Family and Children Services in Brockville, the Humane Society, CHEO, the Sick Kids Foundation and the Adam Harlow Fellowship Fund.
Some of them also helped their neighbours by shovelling snow or walking their dogs and feeding animals in the winter.
I thought this was a terrific program and I think the parents liked it too— Pat Lynch, teacher
“I was really worried that the kids would have a hard time coming up with ideas. They really amazed me with the ideas they came up with and the responsibility they accepted in doing so. There was a wide range of them and they made me very proud. They were looking forward to taking Nobody home,” said Marcil-Irving.
The project is sponsored by local rotary clubs.
This article was published in The Kemptville Advance Newspaper on May 21st 2008
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